It’s sad, funny, heartfelt and hartbreaking. It’s just beautiful. I was laughing and crying.

Let’s just start by saying I am not a Woman’s Fiction type of reader. I don’t really care for strong female characters and their life-changing stories. I usually read Thrillers, Horror and anything that has to do with death and being scared. But man, this book just melted my heart and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I really think this book should be read without knowing anything about it first, as it suggests, I feel like that way you will really have to dig in and find out for yourself what it's all about. I enjoyed it quite a bit, it's not the greatest suspense novel, nor is it very scary and mysterious, it's just the curiosity that wins over.

As I write this review I am watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch, because I just need to satisfy my younger inner self at the moment, and my weird interest in witchcraft. I loved this show, and this book really reminded me of it, mostly just because of the witch thing. Still, I liked it.

How even in the most brutal situations, the is always hope, and sometimes even a little bit of happiness. What those people went though is awful, and to know that everyone in the world knew about it, but decided to do nothing, just pissed me off. I read many books on WWII, but always from the Russian or American point of view. I never even knew that the Soviets did this to Lithuania. It's just so sad.

I had no idea what this book was going to be about when I bought it. I just kept seeing it everywhere I went, so I determined that it must be good if all the stores are selling it. I didn't even know it was about slavery, I thought it was about some servant girl. But beside the point, I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have, maybe it was really good, but I just couldn't get into it.
I like reading about war, slavery and other historical topics, because I know I will get a tearjerker and a resonant story. But this book didn't have that spark, the characters were poorly developed, if not at all, and the story just lacked in many places. I did not enjoy it.

For any of you that are as unaware of what this book is about, it's about slavery, but not just any kind of slavery, it's about a group of black women, slaves, who are more than just slaves to their masters, they are basically sex slaves, black mistresses. The men take these slaves to go with them to a resort in Ohio every year, without their wives, imagine what goes on there, Yah. That was just so disturbing to read, every few pages someone was essentially raped by their master. It was a little over the top for me. I couldn't focus on the story, it was confusing and I lost interest very quickly. The main character Lizzie, was not as interesting as the other characters in the book. To be honest, at first I thought Mawu was the main character, until Lizzie stepped in with her boring story. Mawu wanted to run away, make a difference, live. Lizzie was in love with her master. She lacked character, and spirit, she was confusing and unpredictable, I didn't know what was going on in her mind, and my the end of the book I was even more confused.

There was no climax, no resolution, just a slave who doesn't know what love it. I listened to most of this book on audio, and I got to say, there were many many moments where I just tuned out. It didn't hold my attention at all. I don't think I recommend this book either. Seems like all but one of the books I chose for the book-a-thon were bad. Oh well. Better luck next time.

This story follows many, MANY characters, but mainly Frankie, Iris and Emma. I had to read the first two chapters at least three times, I just couldn't figure out the characters, we are introduced to everyone at once, at least that what it seemed like. The point of view kept changing so quickly and unannounced that I didn't know who was speaking when. And it was especially difficult because I was listening to the audio book, and didn't get to see the little brake between paragraphs to know when one ends and another one begins, which is when the speaker changes. It was confusing.
Iris is the Postmistress (postmaster) in Cape Cod, and obsessed with order, even gets a certificate of virginity from her gyno (she is about 40 years old)... What? Yea it happened. She is supposed to be the stable one in the story, the one keeping peace and making people feel safe and comforted by the mail they get from loved ones.

Emma, the talk of the town, is newly married to the town doctor, who decides to go to Europe and help in the war. Emma's life is torn apart when she is left all alone, pregnant and only letters as communication with Will.

Frankie is a radio broadcaster who is currently in London, during the Blitz, she is the one who is right there where the action is, she doesn't just want to be a bystander, she wants to report the real news, to show the people back home what this war is really like. And maybe they will do something to help.

Even though these women are totally different from one another, the war shatters their lives and they all have to face their challenges.

I really didn't care much for this book, it was a bit boring, and the characters didn't feel real, they weren't developed all the way. I went into this book with hight expectations, I didn't really read any reviews before I bought it, I just saw it at the store, thought it sounded good and got it. I had the idea that this was gonna be more girly, with letters not being delivered and how that messes with peoples lives. How not getting certain news would affect people, and spiral out of control causing mayhem within the town. Nope, that is not what happens. The secret is pretty obvious, and really doesn't make a great difference in the end.

I don't know if I should recommend this book. If you are interested in WWII stories you should read Between Shades of Grey, I just finished it and loved loved it. I will post a review really soon.

A 60+ year old woman gets proposed to three times in one night, in a matter of 10 minutes. Yea right, like that ever happens. I bought this book only because it was by James Patterson, one of the most popular mystery writers out there. I did not like this book at all. I thought that since it was by James Patterson it was gonna have a real big mystery and some twists at the end, but no it didn't. it made you think there was gonna be a surprise ending, I even predicted the most obvious ending and you know what? It was worse.
Ok, so I'm gonna try and be fair and explain to you what the book is actually about. Gabby, a mother of four, and let me just get it out there her four are adults, with their own kids, so that puts Gabby at about 60-70 years old. She is a widow, her husband died about three years before and she has just been lonely. So the book starts off with her sending a video message to her kids, really? Do old people do that? Ok so in the video she tells her kids that she is getting married, and the groom is a surprise. Hmmm, why would a grandma keep surprises like that, what for, why the big mystery. That's when I thought that there was going to be some big big mystery revealed at the end. Also the wedding is taking place on Christmas day. So everyone drop your plans, mommy's getting married, on the biggest holiday and you all have to be there. How selfish. Than she sends them a few more videos, in one explaining how she got proposed to three times, on the same night. That is just unbelievable. After Gabby runs in the snow barefoot to follow her teenage grandson, so he doesn't get high, on her wedding day, in her white dress, and then has to wear sneakers, I gave up. I still listened to the audio book, but I completely lost interest. I just wanted it to end, and find out who she marries. And it wasn't that impressive.

I don't know if I would recommend this book to anyone. Maybe people like Gabby, older women or just people who are really really bored and have nothing to do but read boring books. Come on James Patterson, I thought you were better. Now I'm a little hesitant to pick up any of his other books. I've been eying The Honeymoon but now I have my doubts.

This book moved me to tears, it is a touching story about a teenage girl looking for her birth mom. She always new she was adopted, but lately she just feels different from the rest of her family and wants to know if that has anything to do with her real parents. Why they gave her up,

I revived this eboook from NetGalley, thanks. Here is my honest opinion.
I have taken notes while reading this book, yet I still don't know how to review it. It was OK. I didn't love it but I did't hate it. The first few pages I read really pulled me in, I was in love, I thought this was going to be one of the best books I read this year, but it isn't. I kept reading, and it was interesting but also disappointing and depressing. I though the Bird family was supposed to be eccentric and fun, but they all turn out sad, depressed and covered tattoos, or in prison.

I wouldn't say I didn't like the characters, but they seem too selfish, all of them, they only think about themselves and how the tragedy, and how their mothers increased hoarding affected them.

The book jumps between current events in 2011 and the past, starting in 1981, that lead up to this family reunion, as well as the different family members, it was a bit confusing who was speaking when and how it all fit together. They are definitely a dysfunctional family. I found them very hard to relate to, there was way too much going on, hoarding, lesbians, incest, affairs, communes, death, and mental illness. Just when I thought that I was nearing a climax, it would dwindle down again into something strange and not exciting. The ending was a little disappointing, I thought that after all that they had been through there was a shocking reason why Rhys killed himself, but I come to the conclusion that he was just weird. And he killed himself because he was mentally ill. So read and decide for yourself.

It's not a bad book, more geared towards middle aged women, I think. And I'm nowhere near there and maybe that's why I can't relate to marriage, and moms dying as well as siblings, I'm an only child. But if you are interested please pick up this book, it's a quick summer read that will sure motivate you to clean your house more.

I listened to most of this book in the car on my way to and from work, as well as just around the house,or when running. I really enjoyed it. I like that it had different people reading the different characters. It was easier to distinguish, and it was fun.
The book is written from three different perspectives. Minnie, Abeline, and Skeeter (Eugenia), and they tell the story beautifully. Minnie and Abeline are Black maids in Jackson, Mississippi. And with the civil right movement they are gonna be in a heap of trouble if anyone discovers they are telling stories about their employers. Their selfish, rude and lazy employers. I really like Skeeter and was rooting for Minnie, Abline is just so sweet and the little girl she takes care of just made me want to cry. How could a stay at home mom, be so busy with clubs and other nonsense that she needs a nanny and a maid to take care of her house? They don't seem very rich either, can't they just do their housework themselves. Ugh they made me so angry. Skeeter is awesome, she has an open mind and doesn't care to get married and drop out of college. This book made me sad, angry and laugh out loud. It's a great story about friendship, trust, life and different people coming together to create change.

I watched the movie right after I finished the book, and boy did I hate it. There just isn't anything good about it, I understand that they had to fit a whole book into a 2+ hour movie, but they really botched it up. I watched it with my boyfriend, and he never read the book, I had to explain most of what was happening. I don't think it's easy to follow if you didn't read the book first, they left a lot out and changed a lot of what they didn't leave out. I was waiting to watch this movie since it came out, and I got to say I wish I never had. The book is a 100% better. I do not recommend watching the movie. But please read the book.

What would you do if you discovered a secret about your husband that would ruin your whole life?

At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be readMy darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died...

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.

I was skeptical about this book, I thought it was a good idea but when I stated to read it took a while to get to the actual secret. I was anxious and I wanted to know what he did. But once the secret was revealed the book took off. It really shows how something that happened decades ago can come back to hunt you, and completely change your life in a matter of seconds. This book was great, not my favorite but it was really good and a fast read. Simple and to the point. It touches on relationships, love, friendship, family, murder, forgiveness and life. It has a little bit of everything while still sticking to the main story. I think anyone can relate to at least one of the characters in the book.

The story follows 3 families, at first the families don't have anything in common, but as the books continues we learn just how much they are all connected. And how each of their actions affects the people around them. Sort of like the movie The Butterfly Effect, everything we do has consequences and sometimes those consequences trigger other actions that affect other people.

While reading the book I pretty much guessed everything that was going to happen, you can say it's predictable, but I still enjoyed reading it. I was actually prompted enough to look up some things about the Berlin Wall. The author uses a nice way to connect a historical event like taking down the Wall with what the characters are going though. Like the Wall that came down and feed the people, so does getting the truth out there and freeing your soul.

It's not what I thought this book was going to be about. Yes, it's a prequel to The Bronze Horseman trilogy, it's about how Alexanders parents met, and that's just it, it's about how they met and ended up together, but it's not about their life with each other. I hear there will be another book to tell that story.

Nonetheless it's not a bad story, just not what I was looking for. The characters are good but they still have to grow on me, I think it would be better if this was part of the next book, instead of a separate book. But I do like how we get to see them and how they grow up, in what kind of families and homes. It's a good book, if you read The Bronze Horseman then you will like this either way.

Albert Camus was a nobel prize winning author, and philosopher who contributed to the rise of absurdism. This novel is known as a classic all around the world. But does it really deserve the title. Some go into deep thought and discussion about the man in this book, and how the human nature is represented. And others say it's just a stupid story that has no plot. One has to read it and make your own judgement, it's a short book, you won't waste a ton of time if you decide to hate it. And I guess at times it was quite entertaining, mainly because the main character is a non emotional freak.

The story starts off with Meursault getting the news that his mother died. He takes time off work to go and make arrangements at the home she was living, and right away we sense that he isn't that close with his mother, or at least that's what it seems like, he kind of sees the whole thing as an inconvenience, but at the same time he has no opinion of it. The day after the funeral he starts sleeping with his ex-coworker. You can say that he is indifferent, or different for that matter, but at times he was just a jerk. The murder of the stranger is a small part in the book, we get to see Meursault though the trial and conviction, and even then he shows no remorse or concern. He did it, now he's being punished, and that is all. There are many examples in the book that show his apathy toward situations that would set off billions of different reactions from normal people. And this is where the discussion begins. Is he normal, are we normal, maybe being indifferent is normal. At least it's normal for him. He can''t change who he is, he just doesn't get emotional, he goes with the flow and doesn't get all that involved in lifes' drama. During his trial the prosecutor tried to condemn him based on his indifference to everyone, showing that if he can go to movies only hours after his mother funeral, than he has no problem murdering someone in cold blood. There are many ways to interpret this book, I guess I'm kind of in the middle on that opinion. Read and decide on your own.

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler is said to be a YA national best seller, and even has it's own website, published in 2011 it sure has caught the attention of many young girls.

A high school junior, quirky and romantic Min "Minerva" has fallen in love with Ed, a senior and the star of the basketball team. You can say they are from totally different planets, she is an old movie fanatic, and wants to be a film director one day and Ed, well Ed is just a jock, who is used to having girls all over him. But one day fate comes knocking and Ed and Mins' worlds come together when Ed and his friends show up to Al's bitter 16 birthday party. Al is Mins' friend. They hit it off and the relationship blossoms for a whole month, and than we have this letter. After their really short relationship ends, Min decides to give everything back to Ed that reminds her of their time together, and she writes him a very long brake up letter.

I really wanted to like this book, and I wanted to like Min but I just couldn't, she's definitely "different". I used to be a teenage girl and I can relate to how she feels, and how giddy in love she thinks she is, the smiles, kisses, makeout sessions, collecting things that remind you of the other person, phone calls, all the silly little things that accompany lust. (Not love). But with her I couldn't really see eye to eye. She is an old movie nut, and she references old movies as if she lived them. It bugged me, first of all the movies aren't even real, they are the imagination of Handler, so no one can relate to her on that topic because no one has ever seen them. Maybe it's not her, maybe it's because I am now older and don't think with a 16 year old brain. So everything that I think is silly she takes seriously. But the thing that bugged me the most was the writing. The train of thought writing and the run on sentences. Her page long rambles about her pain and suffering caused by this boy. I just couldn't stand it. It was hard to figure out when she was telling a story or actually writing the letter. And I had to go back and try to figure it out. But I guess it was supposed to be written like an angry, bitter brake up letter, not a book. The story itself contains topics about teenage love, sex, parties and all kinds of teen issues, but the thing that bugged me the most is that it seemed like the parents didn't exist. They are mentioned here and there but we never get a full background of the families of the characters. We know that Ed's mother is sick, but is she sick with a cold or dying of cancer, we don't know. And Min's mom is angry at there father. Why? We don't know. Ed's sister seems to be running the house and is sort of like a parent to Ed, but is his dad not around? We don't get to know these characters of a deeper level, we only know what hormonal brain of a teenage girl will share with us.I honestly don't know if I would recommend this to anyone above the age 18, it's strictly meant to be for teenagers.

James Herbert is knows as the equivalent of Stephen King in the UK, with many other horror books under his belt he is known well as the master of dark fiction. Many might be more familiar with his other book "The Fog"which was later made into a movie. The story follows Chris Bishop who is a paranormal investigator familiar with the events that happened on Willow Road a few years back. He is hesitant about getting into this investigation because he doesn't want to remember what had happened and what he saw that day. The true evil that is responsible for those crimes is back and the town of Beechwood is in peril. People are committing unthinkable acts of violence in the "dark". It is up to Bishop to try and figure out what it is and how to stop it, before it spreads too far.

I was not recommended this book, in fact I was told not to read it because of how gruesome it is , and what do you think I did. I read it. Well I tried to finish it but I gave up a little before the end. I had very high hopes for this book. I thought it was going to be scary, and I mean, keep me up at night kind of scary. But no it was not. It was boring and I dreaded the idea of picking it up. I tried to finish it, because I just hate not finishing books, but this was bad. At times it was very grotesque and disturbing and I had to try and not picture what I was reading. It was hard for me to follow the story, half the time I didn't know what character was speaking or where they were. I didn't know what was going on half the time and it just didn't have that thing that should have pulled me in. The first few chapters were good, they were engaging and we were introduced to many interesting characters, who then went on to commit crimes, and that was that, we never heard from them again. They were just put in the story to show the reader what The Dark can do. And this kept coming up in the book, we are introduced to someone, only to find out they really don't have anything to do with the main plot, other than be an example. I don't think the book is badly written, it just wasn't my style and I couldn't follow it.It shows the reader that The Dark can exist in anyone, people all over the world are committing crimes every day that no one thought they were capable of. This story is a good example of evil and how it can manifest itself in someone, and how peoples actions can turn evil in a matter of seconds.

Series of Unfortunate Events was written by Daniel Handler, also known by his pen name Lemony Snicket. Before I started reading this book I thought it was going to be a fun read, something I could recommend to my child when she is old enough. And I had mixed thoughts about the ending because the description of the book tell you that there is no happy ending. But like I predicted, I liked it.

The book starts off with three Baudelaire kids playing on the beach, Violet, Klaus and Sunny when a man (Mr. Poe) comes up to them and tells them that their parents have burned to death in a fire that happened in their home. So now orphaned the children are placed in the care of Mr. Poe and they don't like it much over there but finally a relative becomes available, Count Olaf. Who lived in a very ugly and dirty house, the children have one bed to share and a cardboard box instead of a closet. It is really sad what these children go thought.

The writing style of this author is very "unique". I don't really know how to describe it. It was very easy to read and understand, he makes the story flow quickly, while still trying to teach kids some vocabulary. He writes it like a storyteller. He sometimes talks directly to the reader, explaining what is going on in the story at that moment. Which I don't mind. This is a kids book after all. The book is for children, so the author will use a word and then he actually gives a definition of it, I guess it's a sneaky way to teach children more vocabulary. It's just a different style of telling a story and you either like it or not. For example:

The smell of cooking food is often a calming one, and the kitchen grew cozy as the sauce simmered, a culinary term which means “cooked over low heat.”

I couldn't personally relate to this story, but being a new mom I just felt so sad for those kids, especially Sunny. I couldn't imagine leaving my baby alone in this world. If I was them, I would try to kill this evil man. But that's a little drastic. Maybe I would run away, I think living on the streets would be much better than his home.

I liked this book, it was quick and funny, as well as sad. But than again it is just a book, with some twisted humor. I would recommend this book mostly to kids, but adults too. Just keep in mind it's a children's book, it's not meant to be an award winning novel.

I really don't know what to make of this book, it wasn't bad by any means, it was super easy to read, and fast paced, usually what I like, but this was a little too good to be true. I know Jim Stovall is a motivational speaker and this book is supposed to teach us how life itself is a gift from God. But it's just a little too cheesy. And too predictable, we know whats going to happen from the first page. Plus the quote on the cover kind of gives it away, well I guess it's not a mystery book so who cares.

Uncle Red dies, the whole family gathers at the lawyers office to collect their inheritance, he leaves money for all his family members, except his great nephew Jason. Even from beyond the grave he wants to teach this little punk a lesson on life, because all he's ever done is spend money and not appreciate where it comes from (like the rest of his family, so I don't understand why he only focuses on this kid). So he makes him do certain things each month for a year and then he can receive his Ultimate Gift, which Jason believes, or hopes is a big sum of money. Each month he is supposed to learn something about life, each of those lessons are called gifts. So Jason not realizing what exactly his uncle had in mind, but still thinking of the money, agrees to this little game. He has to meet up with the lawyer and watch a video that his great uncle recorded, then do as he instructs and than report back to the lawyer. Each month. But as you can guess by the end he is a changed person who no longer cares for the material things, but cares about people and life. I don't believe it, you can't change a person that much in one year. This book is too imaginary. It's a story that you would hear from a visiting speaker at your High School. They are good lessons to learn, but I just don't believe in reading fiction to fix your life. If you're trying to be motivational I think you should give examples from real people.

I guess people have liked it and will like it, but it just wasn't for me. It's short enough though that I don't feel like I wasted my time, and I guess I would recommend it to some since it is a very fast paced book. And I hear there's a movie?

This was confusing at the beginning, Strieber states that this is a true story but he has to write it as fiction because to call it truth would be too shocking to the public.

It took me a while to finish this book, the first half was dragging and I couldn't figure out what was going on, and who was who. The story is told to us by Nicholas Duke, a reporter who is interviewing Mr. Wilfred Stone, a lung cancer patient, on his death bed, who wants to tell the truth about what happened in 1947 when a flying disc crashed in Roswell New Mexico (I know I can't believe I read this book either). He was the Director of Majestic, a secret organization created to handle all things UFO. When Duke starts to doubt Wilfred he presents Nicholas with a box of documents (I believe Strieber mentions that these are the real documents) that are supposed to make him believe that all this is true. And he quickly does. He even does some research on his own and interviews a few people who were connected to this event. Nicholas is a strong character and person, he has been dealing with the aliens his whole life, being abducted and experimented on, he still didn't loose his mind. Duke comes to respect and admire him instead of thinking he is crazy.

So there are abductions, fetuses being stolen and altered to look like them, memories erased, souls transferred to different bodies, yellow flowers and a how sex scene (also the doing of aliens). There are so many different and just feaky incidents in this book that my mind was just spinning sometimes, and I had a hard time focusing on the actual story. Not to say that it was bad, Strieber has one hell of an imagination. (Because I highly doubt that most of those things actually happened). Strieber also keeps jumping from Nicholas to Will and it was hard to figure out who was telling the story at a certain time. The story itself was interesting, the idea of Aliens "The Others" doing all those things to humans is very disturbing. But you really have to read the book to get the full picture. Now, it was interesting but not very convincing, sure he had the documents to show and all that, but the aliens themselves and the things they would do just didn't seem very believable. They said they are creating a new race, we are them they are us we are all one, but they way he explained it, or didn't really explain it, just went over my head. I didn't get it, and that's the part that I don't think was written all that well. There was too much info Strieber was trying to jam into my head all at once.

I would recommend this book to other people who are interested in UFO's but other than that I think it would be too weird for other people to read. I did like it though, didn't love it, but it was a good book. If there really are Aliens out there this is just one more idea of what they are and what they want from us.

Mr. Hyde is described as deformed and disliked. He tramples over a girl on the street. Mr. Utterson is a lawyer, and has a will from his friend Dr. Jekyll saying that all his possession and stuff must go to Mr. Hyde. But Mr. Hyde is evil. What will Mr. Utterson do, he is trying to figure out why his friend would choose this monster. I will not tell you more, except that it follows Mr. Utterson as he is trying to solve the mystery between these two men.

It touches on the struggle of one man between himself and well himself. Although it is told from Mr. Utterson's point of view. This book is very short, about a 120 pages, and for a classic it is very easy to read. After just finishing Dracula, I got to say I liked this book a lot more, I really didn't care for the plot, because you can pretty much guess what happens. But the way it was written, it's clear and to the point, no messing around and wasting paper.